


Polishing The Lightning Rod

by Blizzard_Fire



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Blow Jobs, Bottom Thor, Bruce Loves Coffee, Everyone knows they like each other except for them, Fluff, Hand Jobs, Humor, Lab Breakfasts, M/M, Masturbation, Oblivious Bruce Banner, Thirsty Thor, Top Bruce Banner, Walking In On Someone, mutual crush, smut with plot, tony stark is a little shit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-04
Updated: 2019-05-04
Packaged: 2020-02-16 06:37:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18686131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blizzard_Fire/pseuds/Blizzard_Fire
Summary: The thunderstorms happened every night around 2am. Bruce was mystified. Until he remembered the literal storm god sleeping across from his room in Stark Tower.In which Thor needs a helping hand, Bruce just wants to revolutionise quantum mechanics in peace, and Tony is a smug little shit.





	Polishing The Lightning Rod

**Author's Note:**

> I’ve always been a Thor fan, but I recently rewatched Avengers Assemble (to recover from Endgame) and realised just how adorable Bruce is. Thunderscience is now my favourite ship so here’s what started as a quick fic to get comfortable with the characters and became its own thing. I have no idea where this goes canon-wise, presumably sometime after Ultron? Also my first time ever posting smut on the web yay. Enjoy!

It happened almost every night around 2am.

Most of Stark Tower was supposed to be asleep by then, but not Bruce. All scientists were night owls, and he was no exception. Usually, he’d bid everyone goodnight and then sneak up to his lab to get some extra work done. He had some ideas for new formulas and there were theories to test. Bruce leaned over to check the analysis machine.

Right on cue, thunder rumbled overhead. ‘Not again,’ he muttered. He had algorithms running! He dashed up and down the lab hurrying to save his work as rain lashed at the windows. The sky had been calm and cloudless half an hour ago, with clear skies forecasted all week. Why did this keep happening?

The screens flickered and died.

A chorus of groans rose up from the bedrooms on the floor below, followed by an agonised ‘THE WI-FI’S DOWN! NOOOO!’ from Clint.

Bruce removed his glasses and sank down onto the stool with a sigh. Another night of research stolen from him. The thunderstorms had begun about two weeks ago, shortly after the Avengers had assembled (again). Always at night or in the early hours, and often enough to upset his delicate scientific machinery. He huffed as he consulted his laptop and saw the flashing _incoming storm_ weather warning. He had breakthroughs to make. What was he supposed to do, go to sleep like a normal person?

‘Banner.’ A rap on the door. Tony strode in. There were bags under his eyes, and he was wearing an Iron Man t-shirt with matching pyjama trousers. Nat had bought them as a secret santa gift and of _course_ Tony was vain enough to wear them. ‘Listen Brucie, I’m perfectly happy for you to – ‘

A second roll of thunder drowned out the rest of his words. Bruce waited patiently for it to subside.

Tony rolled his eyes. ‘I’m perfectly happy for you to sit here all night and play with your toys. But whatever you’re doing to cause this – ‘

‘You think this is _my_ fault?’ He folded his arms. ‘You flatter me. But none of this equipment is powerful enough to have any meteorological effect.'

'Well, something's causing it.' He picked up one of the many empty coffee mugs from Bruce’s worktop, sniffed it, pulled a face, and put it back. ‘I’m working on some storm-proof wi-fi, amongst other things. It’s getting ridiculous. We can’t afford to be defenceless every time it rains, for god’s sake.'

Bruce nodded in agreement, still feeling like he was somehow being blamed.

'New task for you.' Tony clapped him on the shoulder. 'Figure out what’s causing all this.'

'Tony,' he said weakly, 'I'm working on an algorithm that could revolutionise quantum mechanics.'

‘Yeah, uh, put that on the backburner for now, would you? I need a weather man.' He was backing out of the lab.

‘Tony, come on – ‘

‘G’night Bruce!’

There was a crash of thunder so loud it made the worktops rattle, and then the lights went out.

Bruce surveyed his equipment, concluded that tonight wasn't the night, and went to bed, only falling asleep when the thunder had given way to gentle rain.

 

 

The storms continued. Bruce collected data from different points on the roof, then set up receivers over town (with a little help from Peter). There didn’t seem to be any explicable reason for them, but it couldn’t be a normal weather pattern.

'Hard at work, Banner?'

Bruce jumped and looked up. The sky outside had turned to dusk and he hadn’t even noticed. Thor stood in the doorway, holding two mugs and smiling. He was dressed in a plain grey hoodie and jeans, his long hair tied back in a ponytail. Human clothes suited him, Bruce mused, then remembered he’d been asked a question. ‘Huh?’

The smile grew wider, as if he knew the effect he had on him. ‘I said you are hard at work.’

 _Not far off_ , Bruce thought, his gaze drifting appreciatively down Thor’s broad chest – not even a loose-fitting hoodie could hide that. ‘Uh, yeah. Trying to get my own work done on top of Tony's homework is killing me.'

Thor nodded slowly as if he understood, then frowned. ‘What homework?'

Bruce sighed and leaned back on his stool, lifting his glasses to rub his eyes. ‘It’s boring.’

‘You work too hard, Banner,’ Thor said softly. Despite knowing each other for a couple years now, Thor was the only one who still called him by his surname. Maybe it was an Asgardian thing. His footsteps approached. ‘Have you eaten today?’

‘Yeah.’ He hadn’t, and the sad expression on the god’s face suggested he wasn’t buying it either. Bruce nodded at the mugs. ‘That for me?’

‘Mmm.’ He placed them on the worktop. One mug was in the shape of Iron Man’s head, and the other had a picture of Thor on it – back when they’d done that god-awful charity photoshoot. Bruce’s face had been painted green and he’d been made to fake-roar at the camera. He still had nightmares about that day. But Thor’s photos… had turned out great.

Conscious of Thor’s eyes on him, Bruce picked up the Iron Man mug, took a sip, and gagged. The hot chocolate was sickly sweet and scalded the roof of his mouth. ‘I don’t drink chocolate,’ he rasped.

Thor’s eyes widened. ‘Oh no, this one’s yours.’ He slid the Thor mug over and took the hot chocolate back.

Ah, coffee. Cream and no sugar. Bruce cradled it in his hands. ‘Thanks, Thor.’

As Thor beamed back at him, his mind reeled. He had an ancient Norse god as a friend. A god who knew his coffee preferences. Or maybe the butterflies in his stomach were just because _Thor_ had made him a coffee. 'I’m trying to find a pattern in the storms we're having.'

'Oh?' Thor sipped at the hot chocolate. Bruce couldn't fail to notice that he drank from the smeared spot where his own lips had been. 'I assumed New York always had storms.'

'Well yeah, but not this frequently. It's weird.' He peered down at his readings. 'Weirder still? It's localised. Just a five-kilometre radius around Stark Tower. I can't make sense of it.'

'That is odd.' Thor looked concerned. 'Alas, meteorology is not a strong point of mine.'

 _But you have plenty of others,_ Bruce thought. 'Ironic.'

'It is.' He stared at him for a moment, long enough that Bruce began to feel heat creeping up his neck. There was something sad behind his smile, something Bruce couldn’t decipher. ‘I will let you work. But remember that you puny mortals need your sleep.’

Bruce laughed. ‘No promises.’

Then Thor’s hand was on his shoulder, just high enough for his thumb to graze the bare skin of Bruce’s neck. ‘Good luck with your research, Bruce,’ he said sincerely.

‘I – sure, thanks,’ he mumbled, not trusting himself to speak again as Thor turned and left the lab. He watched his jeans-clad ass disappear from sight with some regret. Then he frowned. '" _Bruce_ "?'

 

 

The storms continued for another month, much to the team’s anguish. Even worse, they began to happen during the day, too. Bruce was about to give up on the whole thing and attribute it to a localised freak form of global warming, until he had a breakthrough.

They only occurred when the Avengers were in Stark Tower.

Bruce checked the systems after returning from a week of conferences (of course they’d saved the universe, but the construction workers who had to clean up their mess weren’t too happy) and was shocked. Not a drop of rain had fallen in New York the whole time. He couldn’t understand it. Some effect of too many superhumans in close proximity? Unlikely, as they were all “super” for different reasons. Did they have a literal raincloud over their heads, following them everywhere or something?

'Hmm,' said Bruce, and went to get another coffee.

 

 

Bruce formed a hypothesis. Now it was time to make some observations.

On Monday, Tony, Steve and Clint went out to deal with some low-level criminals. The storm happened about an hour after they’d gone. Just a small one, with a couple flashes of lightning.

Tuesday had no daytime storm, but one at night at the usual time. Wednesday was much the same.

Then on Thursday, the storm happened at lunchtime.

Everyone paused and looked up at the first rumble of thunder. Natasha froze with salad tongs in hand, sprinkling lettuce over the meatloaf. Excited, Bruce counted heads to see who was here. Clint, Natasha, Steve, Tony. Peter was back home busy with his studies. So that left –

‘Where’s Thor?’ he asked casually through a mouthful of peas.

Tony shrugged. ‘Dropping some storm turds, probably. He went to the bathroom.’

Bruce sat poised, heart racing. It was so obvious. Who else but the literal god of thunder could be to blame for all this? But why hadn’t he said anything to Bruce?

He looked up and realised Tony was watching him. ‘How’s your little project coming along?’

Bruce met his gaze. ‘You mean the project where I’m going to revolutionise science, or your _weather project_?’

Tony laced his fingers together and propped them under his chin. ‘Quantum physics ain’t gonna keep us dry. What have you got for me?’

Bruce had a lot of things. But as far as he knew, the others didn’t know just how localised the storms were. Of course the media had picked up on it but the team didn’t read much news these days. It usually involved themselves, and how they’d somehow fucked up whilst literally saving the planet. ‘I’m hoping to figure it out soon,’ he said carefully.

By the time Thor reappeared, the storm had faded away to a simple rain shower. He looked the same as he always did, smiling as everyone looked up at him. ‘Am I too late for meatloaf?’

Clint made a grand “be our guest” gesture at the dwindling plate. ‘Should we give it a few minutes in there?’

Thor shook his head and grabbed a fork. ‘I don’t understand.’

Nat waved a hand hastily. ‘It doesn’t matter – ‘

‘You were gone so long I figured you were blowing up my new bathroom.’ Tony sipped his coffee. Steve choked on his. ‘Steady there, old man.’ He thumped him ineffectually on the back. ‘It’s okay. Everybody’s gotta take a dump.’

‘Oh. Er, no.’ Thor smiled self-consciously. ‘I’m afraid I was distracted by the book I found in there. _Quantum Mechanics For Dummies_. Twas an interesting read.’

Bruce sank a little lower in his chair, the back of his neck growing hot as all eyes turned on him. ‘I was uh, taking a refresher on the basics,’ he muttered.

Clint snorted. ‘Who reads physics books in the bathroom?’

‘I do!’ he snapped. Thor took the remaining free seat next to him. ‘And so does he. Right, Thor?’

‘Hmm?’ Thor looked up at him blankly, his eyes flicking briefly down to Bruce’s mouth. Bruce’s heart fluttered, then he realised a string bean was hanging out of it. ‘Oh yes, it was very interesting.’ He turned his gaze back to his plate. And if Bruce didn’t know better he’d swear Thor looked… embarrassed?

Now he was _very_ interested to know where these storms were coming from. It was time to get to the bottom of this.

 

 

That night, Bruce was ready. He set up his equipment, now boosted by Tony’s patented storm-proof wi-fi, and settled in for a long night. He spent a few blissful hours tinkering with his beloved algorithms whilst his equipment collected data. He didn’t need it. But it was best to keep up appearances.

It worried him, though. Surely Thor knew he was the cause of the storms. Bruce had played dumb to Tony – he didn’t want Thor kicked off the team because of him – but the whole thing didn't sit well with him. Did he really have so little control over his power? He’d confront Thor about it and perhaps they could go to Tony with problem and solution in hand.

Bruce liked Thor. He didn’t want to get him in trouble.

But it had been a long week, and not even the coffee could keep him awake all night. Bruce found himself drifting, glasses sliding off his nose as he dozed, head in hand, still bent over the strings of code.

Then a crash of thunder woke him up.

Bruce jerked awake, glasses clattering on the table. The lights had gone out. Rain pelted the windows like bullets and wind buffeted the tower. It wasn’t usually this bad. The coffee had already made him jittery, and as he stood up cautiously he felt the other guy stirring in his mind, spurred by the primitive rumblings of thunder. _Not now. I’m safe. I’m calm._

He didn’t feel particularly calm as he left the lab and emerged onto the landing. No one around. Bruce eyed the elevator doubtfully, then headed for the stairs. It occurred to him that it would be easy for an attacker to sneak up undetected, and that made his heart go faster.

Worse, he began to feel angry. He cared about Thor. Why was he being made to endure this every night? He shouldn’t feel unsafe in his own workplace. No more speculating; it was time to test his theory.

Once he got to the floor below, he marched past the others' rooms and knocked on the door at the end of the hall. 'Thor?' His voice was lost in the rumble of thunder. He felt vulnerable out here. The beast stirred, scenting the air for danger.

'You okay in there?' He knocked louder but even he could barely hear it. As a last resort, he tried the door handle. It swung open. Beyond, the room was in darkness.

He should leave it. Confront him in the morning when he was thinking more clearly. Maybe Thor had nightmares and that caused the storms. Whatever it was, barging into his room in the middle of the night to point the finger seemed... unnecessary.

Then in the slip of silence between a flash of lightning and the answering rubble he heard a cry. As if someone was in pain and had been unable to hold back a gasp.

Bruce was many things, but he was not heartless. His stomach curled with vague dread but he wasn’t going to leave Thor in pain in the dark. Bruce knew too well how that felt.

Between the flashes of lightning, he saw that Thor was in his bed by the wall. He was lying on his back, the covers drawn up to his neck. His face was contorted in pain, his teeth gritted.

'Thor?' His voice was lost in the thunder. Thor’s eyelids fluttered and the hand moving rapidly under the covers began to move faster. A silent sigh escaped his parted lips. With a shock of horror Bruce realised he wasn't in pain after all -

Thor's eyes snapped open. 'Argh, Bruce!' He sat bolt upright, pulling the duvet around him. 'How did you get in here?'

Bruce's face was on fire. At least it wasn't visible in the gloom. His stomach clenched pleasantly at the sight of his sweaty face and heaving chest. 'Your door was unlocked.'

He frowned. 'It was?'

'I - I'm so sorry Thor.' He didn't know much about Asgardian customs but walking in on someone frantically masturbating was frowned upon in most cultures. Thor was drop-dead gorgeous and he knew it, but there was never anything overtly sexual in the way he carried himself. To see that the gods themselves had the same base instincts was… interesting. ‘I had no idea – I mean, obviously if I’d known – ‘

But Thor waved it away (with his left hand). 'You weren't to know. No harm done.'

'Uh, good.' Bruce looked down at his feet, which he couldn't see because it was so dark. It had been a terrible idea to come in here. He needed to leave. But the pleasant swooping sensations persisted as he remembered the pained but blissful expression on Thor's face.

Thor reached over and switched on the bedside lamp. 'Was there something you wished to discuss with me?'

'It can wait until tomorrow.' His throat had gone dry. He still hadn't moved.

In a tight-fitting t-shirt and hair pulling free of its ponytail, Thor looked so human in the dim light. Bruce hadn't considered that gods needed to let off steam too.

'You wanted to investigate the storms?' There was a knowing glimmer in his blue eyes.

'Well, the lightning god thing is a bit of a giveaway.'

'Thunder god really.' He was still breathing a little heavier than usual, but his expression was politely neutral, as if he was waiting for Bruce to explain something.

'So how come it's raining every night? You've stayed here before. We didn't have these problems then.'

'No,' he agreed, 'We didn't.'

Silence fell. Bruce fidgeted, unable to come up with an excuse to leave and unwilling to find one.

Thor just waited, looking very much like a kid with his hands caught under the covers. Well, literally.

'I’m sorry,' Bruce said again. 'I came in because I was worried about you. If I'd known...'

'You were worried about me?' Thor's blue eyes bore into his. 'Why?'

'Well, uh, the constant lightning made me wonder if something was wrong.' He swallowed. 'Guess not.'

He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. 'I am well, thank you. I... have had some things on my mind lately.' His voice deepened.

'Uh-huh.' Bruce should leave, right now, before he did something he couldn't take back. 'Anything I should be concerned about?'

Thor, god of thunder and prince of Asgard, blushed. And now Bruce was really intrigued. 'It shouldn't be like this,' he said, gesturing to the windows which crackled with rain. 'This is strain and resentment being released. Strong emotions do this to me but usually I can keep it under control. Lately it has been... more difficult.'

Bruce sat down on the edge of the bed, wondering if they had something in common. 'Anger can be hard to deal with,' he said gently. ‘But it can be controlled.’

'Not anger. Infatuation.' He sighed. 'I have recently developed feelings for someone. It will pass, I'm sure.'

'Who?' Bruce asked softly.

Thor said nothing. But Bruce didn't miss the guilty flick of his eyes to the scientist's hands, folded in his lap. The cups of coffee, the lingering touches, the smiles that lasted a second too long... Bruce had always put it down to cultural differences but suddenly he had a new hypothesis. One that he was itching to test.

Daring himself, Bruce leaned towards him. Thor's eyes flicked guiltily away as his hand rested on his stubbly jaw, then flickered closed as he ran his thumb along the skin. When he traced the very edge of his mouth, he sighed. 'Am I so obvious?'

A thrill went through him, stronger than caffeine and enough to make him giddy. 'Actually, I had no idea.' Heart thumping, Bruce replaced the thumb with his mouth. Thor stiffened in surprise, then relaxed into the kiss.

He tasted like rain. Bruce cupped his face with both hands, closing his eyes as Thor’s lips parted under his. A careful stroking of tongues, that left a fizzy feeling in his mouth like a spoonful of sherbet. Thor’s hand curled around the back of Bruce’s neck, a finger gliding beneath his collar. They pulled apart, leaving an aftertaste of copper on his lips. Thor’s desire for him was a literal charge in the air.

Bruce’s fingers found the edge of the duvet, his raised eyebrows voicing a silent question. Thor leaned back on his elbows without a trace of fear in his eyes.

Bruce pulled the covers back. Thor wore loose sweatpants, now tented at the front; he was still half-hard.

He swallowed and nodded at it. 'That for me?'

'Yes. Does that upset you?'

He shook his head and stroked him through the soft fabric of his sweatpants, eliciting a gasp. ‘Should have said something earlier.’

Thor closed his eyes and bucked his hips gently. 'I've been... thinking about you a lot, lately.'

'Really?' Bruce couldn't believe it. 'Me? Why?'

Thor pressed his lips together and shook his head, either unwilling or unable to articulate.

To encourage him, Bruce hooked his fingers into Thor's waistband and tugged his pants down.

Thor's cock bobbed from a nest of brown curls. Reassuringly human-like. You could never be sure with gods.

Thor hissed as he wrapped his hand around his hot shaft. ‘Your hands are cold.’

Bruce lay down on his side, still facing him, watching his expression as he gave him an experimental tug. His eyes grew unfocused, a self-conscious laugh fading to a moan as he cupped his balls briefly and gave them a gentle squeeze. He was already pretty far along, if the dampness between his thighs was anything to go by. Did Asgardians have any erogenous zones different to humans?

‘Bruce…’ Thor’s breath was warm on his cheek. ‘You’re thinking again.’

‘Oh yeah. Sorry.’ He pressed his face against his warm neck, nipping him just above the collarbone.

Thor's head dropped down onto the pillow in surrender and Bruce got pumping for real.

The thunder grew louder as the minutes stretched on, until it seemed as if it was in the room with them. But Bruce’s fear had turned to exhilaration. All this, because of him?

He raised his head to glance at Thor’s face. His eyes were closed and he was biting his lip hard. His large hand clutched Bruce’s arm as if to guide his motions, then slid up to tangle in his hair instead.

‘Oh, Bruce.' He saw rather than heard him say it, the god's lips shaping his name. To see him lose control, splayed out like this, aching for him... it made him feel at once ridiculously powerful and incredibly humbled.

His own pants were uncomfortably tight, his answering erection pressed against Thor’s thigh. But he only had one hand free; the other was still propping him up. He groaned and rubbed against him, leaning over to press an open-mouthed kiss on his chest, the damp t-shirt clinging to his skin. He caught a nipple between his teeth and bit down. Thor’s swollen pole jerked in his grip, his appreciative growl barely audible over the deafening storm outside. Everyone in Stark Tower must be awake by now. His cock was damp with pre-come; Bruce sensed he was getting close. For once, he was too turned-on to feel embarrassed as he paused to spit into his hand before returning to work. Thor’s fingers grasped blindly at his back, his waist, his buttocks. By now Bruce wasn’t entirely sure the storm outside wasn’t an alien invasion arriving to infiltrate the tower. He didn’t care.

Thor mouthed something that was lost in the din. Smiling, Bruce leaned in until he could feel the urgent puffs of air on his face, until he knew Thor would hear him. ‘You’ve been desperate for me all this time,’ he said huskily. ‘How many times did you jerk off thinking about me?’

Thor shuddered and grabbed Bruce's face, kissing him with a wild hunger he’d never seen in him before. Bruce thrust desperately against him. Just tongues and teeth and bodies, seeking each other in the storm.

There were shouts from neighbouring rooms. The whole room was shaking as if in an earthquake. Something fell off a shelf. Bruce increased his pace, ignoring the growing cramp in his arm. He’d dreamed of this for months. He wasn’t going to stop until Thor was finished.

Thor’s moans vibrated through the kiss. The storm built and built until he was sure there was wind in his hair and electricity crackling up his arm. He was just clinging on now, thrusting up into Bruce’s hand. Then he threw his head back and went rigid. There was a bang like a bomb going off directly overhead as lightning struck the tower, and the bedside lamp leapt off the table and shattered on the floor. Then everything was silent except for the wet slick of flesh as Bruce vigorously milked his dick as he came apart beneath him. Then Thor groaned like he'd been punched in the stomach and he was spilling down Bruce’s wrist.

Bruce pressed a final kiss on his sweaty forehead then collapsed beside him, head on his shoulder. They lay there for a while, panting, listening to the grumble of voices further down the corridor.

Thor licked his dry lips. ‘I think I’ve pissed them off.’

Bruce chuckled. ‘They’ll live.’

They froze as there was a knock on the door. ‘Thor? You okay in there?’ called Clint.

‘I am well,’ Thor called back, sounding only slightly out of breath. ‘What’s going on?’

‘Another storm. Tony and I are going up to check the damage. We should be okay but just be on your guard.’

‘I will.’ They waited until his footsteps had receded.

Bruce sat up. ‘I should probably get going,’ he said reluctantly.

A warm mouth planted a kiss on the back of his neck. ‘Must you? It’s a long way back to your quarters. Perhaps you would be safer here. In case of storms, of course.’

Bruce smiled into the dark.

‘Also, I’m not sure you could hide this – ‘ Thor’s hand cupped the bulge in the front of his pants. ‘-from our teammates.’

‘True.’ He raised his head as Thor kicked off his sweatpants, got up and then knelt on the floor in front of him. ‘It’s the least you could do really.’

‘My thoughts exactly.’ His nimble fingers unzipped his pants and then _Thor’s mouth was on his cock_ and he was drowning in smooth, wet heat. He wanted to savour this – who knew if they’d even acknowledge this tomorrow? – but he was already so hard it hurt. The sight of Thor’s head bobbing accompanied by leisurely sucking noises were too much to withstand.

Another knock at the door. ‘Thor, are you in there?’ Steve. ‘We can’t find Bruce anywhere. Nat’s worried we may have a code green on our hands.’

Thor made as if to pull off, then stopped as Bruce’s fingers clutched at his hair. He was too close. They’d passed the point of no-return. Oh god, he was going to come and Steve was right outside the fucking door –

He was too late to clap his hand over his mouth. A choked-off cry, too loud to be mistaken for anything else, escaped him as he came inside Thor’s attentive waiting mouth. He bit down on his arm as the aftershocks rippled through him.

Dead silence on the other side of the door, then Steve cleared his throat and hurried off down the corridor. Bruce could just make out his words: ‘Nat, do you copy? No, it’s fine. He’s uh, he’s fine.’

‘Shit.’ Bruce hid his head in his hands, embarrassment crawling through him. What had he done? He’d never meant to act on his feelings for Thor, precisely because he’d only screw it up. Now they were sat in the dark, panting and sticky, and he had no idea how much this changed things.

‘You look unhappy,’ said Thor gently.

‘Yeah. I should – I should get going.’ He stood up, hastily zipping up his pants. ‘Don’t wanna cause a scandal.’ He laughed humourlessly, turning back in time to see something close off behind Thor’s eyes. He didn’t know what this was. How stupid was he, getting involved with someone on the team? He’d ruined everything. Just like he always did.

‘Are you well?’ He sat down on the bed, wet penis soft against his thigh.

‘Yeah, I’m fine. I’ve gotta go.’ He hurried for the door, cursing as he whacked his shin on something in the dark.

‘Goodnight Bruce,’ said Thor softly.

Bruce was gone before he got any ideas about asking him to stay, almost jogging down the corridor back to his room. He collapsed onto his own bed and pulled the covers over his head. That was… amazing. And it had spoiled everything. He should have left as soon as Thor called his name.

But he’d looked so beautiful sprawled out under the sheets, shining with sweat as he spoke Bruce’s name.

Bruce fretted until his sated body pulled him into unconsciousness, and he dreamed of dark corridors and flashes of light.

 

 

Bruce didn’t go down for breakfast the next morning. Instead, he slunk upstairs to his lab. He prodded at his algorithms, tinkered with some new theories, but his heart wasn’t in it. He’d always had a soft spot for Thor, but that didn’t mean he should ever act on it. But it had been so long since an opportunity had come up…

‘Do you ever take a day off?’ said a familiar voice.

Bruce dropped his pencil. Then he dropped his notepad.

Thor stood in the doorway, looking uncharacteristically sheepish. ‘I. Um. Food?’ A plastic bag dangled from one hand, and in the other he held a pair of takeaway cups in an eggbox cardboard container. When Bruce said nothing, he entered the room.

‘Is this a peace offering?’ He watched in amazement as Thor unloaded the bag: there were enough toasted sandwiches and muffins to feed five of him.

‘Of sorts. May I?’ He gestured at the stool beside him, sky-blue eyes hopeful, and Bruce couldn’t say no to that.

‘Be my guest.’ He took a sip of the hot coffee, unsure what to say. Unsure where they stood. ‘I could get used to this.’ There was bacon somewhere, he could smell it, and he would find it. He picked up a sandwich and started eating.

Thor smiled hesitantly. ‘Perhaps it is a good arrangement.’ Then his face fell. ‘That was a joke, by the way.’ He reached across Bruce and picked up a blueberry muffin to attack, scattering crumbs over the worktop.

The silence stretched between them. Bruce hastened to fill it with food.

‘Bruce,’ said Thor eventually, and his heart sank. ‘Was last night a mistake?’

Bruce chewed over his words – and the delicious breakfast sandwich. ‘No. No, it was fun.’ He shrugged like he was a normal dude who could do the whole sex-and-no-feelings thing. ‘No big deal.’

‘It wasn’t how I planned to tell you.’ Thor glanced towards the door for eavesdroppers. ‘I owe you an apology.’

‘Wait, tell me what?’ He finally dared to look up and found Thor’s blue eyes gazing into his. ‘What are you talking about?’

‘I wasn’t lying when I said that you’ve been on my mind a lot lately. But I’d hoped to tell you with… a little more tact.’ He looked down at his muffin. It looked as if he’d slept badly; his hair was pulling free of his ponytail and his shoulders slumped. ‘These past few months, I’ve come to think very fondly of you.’

At that moment, Bruce had taken a particularly big bite of sandwich and he struggled to make space in his mouth to speak. ‘Are you – ‘ A bit of bacon slipped down his throat the wrong way and he choked, spraying egg yolk down his front.

Thor watched with polite concern as he tried to simultaneously cough his lungs clear and swallow the rest of the mouthful. As Bruce doubled over, coughing, he gave him a hesitant thump on the back that nearly slammed him into the table. ‘What I mean is,’ he said, a little louder to make himself heard over Bruce’s gagging noises, ‘that I’ve come to think of you as a very good friend… but possibly more than that. If you were interested. I find you very endearing.’

Bruce finally straightened up, eyes streaming, mouth smeared with egg and ketchup. ‘Are you asking me out?’ he wheezed.

‘Well, yes.’ He smiled faintly. ‘But if you’re not interested I understand.’

‘No! No, I mean…’ Blushing, Bruce snatched up a napkin and wiped his mouth. ‘Yeah. Of course I’m interested.’ He looked up into the face no longer addled by lust but softened with affection. ‘You’re serious, though? You didn’t answer my question last night: why me?’

For a moment, Thor’s face went blank, as if he’d just been asked a stupidly-obvious question. ‘Because,’ he said quietly, ‘you are kind, and intelligent, and you possess a strong heart. You have a quick wit and a scientific mind, but equally you value the mundane things in life.’

Bruce laughed and dropped his eyes. ‘Not just a pretty face, then?’

He smiled. ‘Well, that too.’

‘If I was braver, I would have asked you for a drink.’ Bruce looked at their hands and interlinked the fingers. ‘We could try again? Maybe start a little slower this time.’

Thor nodded. ‘I’d like that. Are you free later? We could just… spend some time together.’

Bruce’s heart warmed and before he could stop himself he was grinning like an idiot. ‘Yeah, definitely.’ And because he couldn’t help himself, he leaned over and placed a tender kiss on Thor’s cheek.

‘Finally!’

Bruce dropped his sandwich in his lap.

Tony was smirking from the doorway as if he’d been there the whole time. ‘You know, Clint bet me fifty dollars you two lovebirds wouldn’t get together before the end of the week. I knew you wouldn’t let me down.’

‘Did you need something, Tony?’ Bruce asked pointedly, cursing himself for blushing.

‘Conference in half an hour. Down on level two. Make sure you’re down there when Thor’s done polishing his lightning rod or whatever it is you’re doing up here.’ There was too much smugness in his voice.

‘You knew?’ said Bruce before he could stop himself.

'Knew what?' Tony fixed him with a gaze that was both too innocent and too knowing. ‘By the way, Thor here is an _expert_ on storm phenomena. Might be a good idea to get him to work on your little side project I set you.’

'You unlocked my door, didn’t you?' Thor growled.

'Hey now Point Break, I didn’t do anything. And the magnetic locks disengage in the event of a power outage. Which is... oh, almost every night?' He looked between them both with the air of a disapproving headmaster. ‘Whatever you two may or may not get up to in the night is none of my business.’

Bruce groaned and hid his head in his hands. ‘Did Steve tell you?’

‘Oh no, Cap’s too much of a gentleman. Don’t worry, Brucie.’ He wandered over and patted his shoulder in consolation. ‘I caught him doing it too.’

Thor slumped in his seat. ‘You didn’t knock.’

‘Oh it’s fine, we’re all men. I know where to send the therapist bills. Can I expect this weather crap to be resolved now? Great. See you guys.’ As he walked off whistling, Bruce let his head thump down on the desk.

‘Stark knew why the storms were happening. I think he was waiting for you to figure it out yourself.’

‘Yeah. Took me long enough.’ He straightened up, still red-faced. ‘He has a point though. What about the storms? Is that the end of them?’

'Oh, they were borne of frustration. Usually it's rather less... cataclysmic. No, that itch is truly scratched.' He winked. 'Of course, one can never be too careful...'

'Just in case it happens again, maybe you should keep me on hand.'

Thor grinned, taking Bruce's hand and brushing his lips across his knuckles. ‘For scientific purposes, of course?'

‘Of course. I can be very methodical.’ His blood warmed at the memory of how those lips tasted. He lowered his voice. ‘And after we’re done taking it slow, you can return the favour.’

Thor’s eyes drifted closed and he sighed, a warm puff of air over Bruce’s hand that gave him goosebumps –

‘Oh, I don’t fucking believe it! You guys cost me fifty dollars!’ Clint groaned from the doorway, throwing his hands up. ‘You couldn’t have waited one more day to hook up?’

Bruce grabbed the dropped sandwich from his lap and flung it across the room. It missed by miles, splatting against the wall and staying there. ‘Okay, this lab is now off-limits for all of you!’ he shouted. ‘Otherwise I swear I’ll send the other guy down to this goddamn conference!’

But Clint was already gone, cackling his way down the corridor.

Bruce sank back onto his stool. ‘There are no secrets here. None.’

Thor chuckled, curling an arm around his waist. ‘Remind me to get revenge on Stark sometime.'

‘Nah.' Bruce sipped his coffee and sank into the warmth of his mug and the man beside him. 'I’m buying Tony a goddamn fruit basket.'

Thor's answering laugh carried the echo of rolling thunder.

**Author's Note:**

> Feels good to be posting something at last! I’m currently working on a Thor/Bruce bodyswap fic (with smut!) that’s likely to end up being a multi-part fic so stay tuned for that :)


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